May 7, 2017

​The students participated in setting up for the bagel brunch.

April 24, 2017

​Hi, parents and students -

This Sunday was very productive (despite the unusually small class) - we discussed the intricacies of international politics and national leadership, Uganda's relationship to Israel, and the history of US/Israeli interventions in Africa.

We opened the class by posing two questions to the students: what makes a good leader, and what makes a bad leader? Students identified a variety of traits of good/bad leadership, and their parallels - experience/naivety, thoughtfulness/impulsiveness, pragmatism/carelessness, etc. After this, we followed up with another inquiry: why would we continue to follow a bad leader? Students identified several good reasons, such as the illusion of security, demonization of the opposition, and false narratives.

These discussion questions alluded to the next section of the class: learning about Idi Amin's (a Ugandan dictator) connection to Israel, the international policies involved in his rise to leadership, and the ultimate effect on Israel. We read a piece discussing his rise and his leadership - which involved initial Israeli support, broken agreements, and human rights abuses - and ultimately identified him as an example of a bad leader, as he abused and massacred his own people. After reading the article, students responded to accompanying questions on paper, and discussed the political and cultural implications of Idi Amin's rise - including the effect of Israel's support, the way international relations affect Israel and Judaism, and other international events which parallel the specific one discussed in the article.

After a short break, we ended class by beginning a documentary on Idi Amin and his interactions with foreign nations (including Israel).

Car Talk:

- What makes a leader good or bad? How are leaders perceived by their people, and how do these perceptions affect their behavior?

- What do you remember about Idi Amin's rise? What was Israel's role, and how did his rise affect the nation?

- Why are international politics so convoluted and fragile? What forces drive interaction between distant communities, and what roles have the US/Israel played in international politics?

- David Schwitzgebel

April 16, 2017

​Dear parents and students,

This week we had a special Passover celebration. To prepare for the day's activities we first talked about what chametz means and did a 'clearing out the chametz' meditation. The class then participated in a short Seder focusing on the z'roah after which they made Passover frames, watched a Passover video and hunted for an afikoman!

Have a great week!

AmyAlso, there’s this from Harry and Amy who led the seders:For our seders, we recalled the words of Rabban Gamliel, "Whoever does not discuss the following three things on Passover has not fulfilled their obligation: the pesach offering (z'roah), matzah, and maror."For the 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, we discussed the history and tradition of sacrifice, and the difference between most sacrifices and the pesach offering. Students expanded on ways that the offering serves as a metaphor for the kinds of sacrifices we make during Passover, we blessed the grape juice and matzah, and we sang Chad Gadya.Thank you so much to all parents, staff and congregants who helped the students participate, we were very grateful to get to share this celebration with the TBE community!

We look forward to seeing everyone back in class this Sunday, April 23th!

Amy & Harry

March 26, 2017

​Dear Parents and Students,

This week we learnt about different aspects of Passover/Pesach celebrations in the US and in Israel. There were only two class members present so we'll be saving some of the games and activities for when everyone is there.

The three of us first made sure we understood words like Pesach, chametz, matzah, Haggadah, etc. And discussed the different Seder traditions our families have. We then learnt the reason why some diaspora Jews have two seders but in Israel only one. After which we read an essay about why we say 'next year in Jerusalem' at the end of the Seder, and what Jerusalem could mean in this context, especially when your Seder is taking place in Jerusalem. After that we had a true or false quiz on how we clean our chametz in Israel and the diaspora.

Car talk - what does the Seder mean in our family?

Enjoy the break everyone!

Amy

March 19, 2017

​Dear parents and students,

This week I gave the class feedback from their assessment two weeks ago. The assessment was tough and the class showed lots of skills in how they handled it. We talked about the different skills everyone in the class put into their assessments; how we all have different skills and different areas to work on. Overall the class did very well considering the high academic level of the assessment.

We then began to look at some of the content of the assessment that the class needed more work on. Specifically the different streams within Judaism. We began watching the PBS documentary ’The Jewish Americans’ in order to gain a clear sense of how Jewish practices and communities have developed in the US in order to later compare them to the practices and communities that now exist in Israel.

Car talk: How do we practice our Judaism in our family? What does our Jewish identity mean to us as Americans?

Have a great week!

Amy

March 3, 2017

​Dear parents and students,

This week we learnt about some of the different ways Judaism is practiced in Israel and the US. In the second half of class everyone completed a written assessment based on a Pew Research Study comparing Israeli and American Jews.

Car talk: What differences are there between Israeli and American Jews, what do you think united the two groups?

Have a great week!

Amy=

February 26, 2017

​Hi, parents and students -

Today, we continued our study of modern Israeli politics and culture, and reflected on our connection to Jews in Israel. After a brief recap from our last session, students were presented with data and commentary from a Pew research study. This data reflected the significant political divergence between Israeli Jews and American Jews - we discussed the implications of certain pieces of the data, such as the distinction between Israeli "doves" and "hawks," the political skew to the right (in Israeli Jews) and liberalism (in American Jews), the relevance of economic factors on opinion, etc.

After this discussion, we considered data on Jewish demographics in both nations, and watched complementary videos outlining the distinctions between the Israeli Jewish culture and the American Jewish culture. After watching these videos, students discussed their own experiences as Jews in America (a minority), and Amy presented an Israeli perspective - in that nation, Jews are the majority, highlighting the difference in experience.

Car Talk:

Do you remember any of the key differences between Israeli and American Jews' political perspectives (via the Pew study)? What are the implications of these differences? What are your thoughts on the perspectives?

Imagine that you were raised in Israel (with a Jewish majority) rather than the US (with a minority). How would your life be different? Your culture? Your community?

February 12, 2017

We explored different facets of the symbolism and celebration of Tu B'shevat with seders! We used bits and pieces from Tu B'shevat haggadot located here to assemble different age-appropriate seders.

For the 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, we emphasized some of the Kabbalist origins of Tu B'shevat seders and encouraged students to form personal relationships with fruit:

February 5, 2017

No report this week.

January 29, 2017

​Dear parents and students,

This week we learnt about how important it is to know more than one story about places and people. We watched a clip from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk on the subject. We then read a timeline of the history of Israel with one team reading the timeline from an Israeli perspective, the other from a Palestinian perspective.

We discussed the different language used by the two sides to describe the same events. The class were quick to find the differences and identify what we could learn from them. The class also showed real insight into the ways in which power affects the stories we hear.

Car talk:

-Why is it important for places and people to have more than a single story?

-What power do stories have? How can we use it for good?

Next week we'll be bringing this week's timeline up to the present day and then discussing in further depth what Israel means to the diaspora.

Have a great week!

Amy

January 22, 2017

​Hi, parents and students -

Amy and I are glad to be back from the break, and are ready to resume our study of Israel and Jewish ethics! We began class today with a wonderful transition back to Religious School - all classes listened to a series of fables and tales told by a guest storyteller. She ended her performance by discussing her experiences telling Jewish stories and introducing the culture to students across the world.

After returning to the classroom, we first reviewed what students remembered from before the break - including the writing assignment and Israeli history - and moved on to a brief crash-course review of previously covered material. We had a brief discussion of Jewish culture and history, then watched two videos - one explaining the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, and another recounting the experiences of an Israeli and Palestinian who work to bridge the gap between the two cultures.

Car Talk:

What do you remember from before the break (Israeli history, ethics (Pirke Avot), or writing)?

What do you know about the history and nature of the Israel-Palestine conflict? What are your perceptions/thoughts?

December 18, 2016

​Hi, parents and students -

As we approach the holidays, we spent today engaging in a colorful variety of activities in our religious school's Chanukah program. This class (along with 5th , 6th and 7th grade) moved from station to station, each station teaching something new about Chanukah.

The first station was a mix of a holiday service and scavenger hunt - first, the students searched for (and found) a string of clues which ultimately led to a menorah in the Sanctuary. After we found the menorah, we participating in a brief lighting service, and learned about the origins of this holiday - not just the old story, but also Chanukah's alignment with the moon cycle and the solstice.

The next two stations were craft-based - first, students made an edible dreidel and played dreidel (no, not with the edible ones); next, students made their own menorah out of clay.

The final station was the most in-depth activity - Harry and Franklin helped students retell the traditional story of Chanukah, as if the participants told the story through social media. Half of the class told the story from the perspective of the Greeks, as SM posts; the other half provided an account from the perspective of the Maccabees. This activity put an ancient story into a modern perspective.

Overall, this was a fun, productive, and hands-on day - a perfect way to reflect on the meaning of Chanukah. Happy holidays, and see you soon!

Summary 11, 2016

​Hi, parents and students -

Today, we decided the class into two sections - completion of the writing assignment, and introduction the the Pirkei Avot. The first part of class primarily consisted of writing: students who were present for the last class completed the creative part of the project, and students who were absent for the last class worked on/completed the essay part of the project. Some more time will be given at a later class for a few students to complete the creative part of their project. Their writing is turning out nicely!

The second part of the class involved an introduction to the Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers - a compilation of the wisdom of ancient Rabbis, as interpreted in a modern context). We read through several brief sections of the text, and discussed their meaning, interpretations, significance to Judaism, and significance to modern Israel. Students were given a short break at the end of class to wind down, as writing and discussion aren't always easy. :)

Car Talk:

Do you remember any of the ideas expressed in the sections we read from the Pirkei Avot? How did you interpret them? Why are they significant to our religion?

Do you have any ideas for how to write your creative piece (if not yet finished)?

Next week, we'll be participating in Chanukah activities with the rest of the religious school.

Summary for December 4, 2016

​Hi, parents and students -

Amy is back in the UK for a few weeks, so I'll be leading the class ad interim. Today, we opened the class with an awesome art project with Adina (pictures below) - we filled in pre-made maps of Israel with a variety of materials, including painted rocks, beans, and glitter glue. This really brought the maps to life, encouraging students to form a fun, tangible connection to the nation.

This activity served as a perfect transition to the next part of the class - students began a writing assignment focused on Israel's connection to Judaism and their personal connection to Israel. After spending some time discussing and wrapping their heads around the writing assignment, students spent the remainder of the class working on it (and receiving guidance when necessary). Most of the students who were present were able to complete the first part of the assignment (a brief essay) and begin working on the second part (a creative piece). The writing assignment is attached - parents of absent students, have them at least begin the assignment! Class will be streamlined if all students are in a similar place in their writing.

Car talk:

Do you have any ideas for the creative piece of your writing assignment? How could you express your connection to Israel through poetry, a short story, etc.?

What did you get out of the first part of the assignment? Which prompt(s) did you respond to (if any)?

Summary for November 13, 2016

​Hi, parents and students -

In light of Tuesday's election, we took an unusual approach to class today.

For the first half of class, we discussed the possible implications of the election for the US, Israel, and the world - we viewed politics through the lens of Judaism. Additionally, we allowed people to consolidate their emotions and created a space to discuss the nature of our reactions - not from one particular political side, nor one party, nor one candidate, but as humans.

By the second half of class, some students were feeling rather tense. Some people tend to respond to emotions by analyzing and discussing, which was thoroughly covered by the first half; however, we wanted to make room for the students who would rather reflect and relax. Amy led us in a guided meditation session, in which students lay down and focused on breathing, relaxation, internal stillness, and mindfulness.

Car talk (for students who would rather discuss and analyze) -

How did Tuesday's election affect your perception of the US? How did you feel about it, as a Jew?

What are the implications for US policy and society? What are the implications for Israel and Judaism?

Car talk (for students who would rather reflect and relax) -

What state of mind did you reach during our guided meditation? Did it affect you past the time we spent in class? Did it help you feel centered and peaceful?

Have a nice break! After the vacation, David will resume the regular curriculum with a study of the Pirkei Avot as it pertains to Jewish ethics and Israel. Also, we will be creating some art with Adina on our perception of Israel - over the break, students should reflect on how to express their connection to Israel through art.

Summary for November 7, 2016

​Hi, parents and students -

Today, we continued our study of prominent Zionist movements and their leaders. Students completed the work they had begun last week - framing the ideal Zionist state, origins, and perspectives of each major leader - and presented their work to the class, introducing the rest of the students to the details of each movement and leader. We briefly discussed the significance of the conflicting movements, their ideals, and their ultimate results. For the remainder of class, we began watching a documentary on Zionism and its implications for the mid-20th century Middle East.

Car Talk:

How do the ideals of each Zionist movement conflict? How could they compromise to form a coherent state?

Based on your knowledge of modern-day Israel, what influences can you see each movement had on the nation?

Which form of Zionism do you most sympathize with? Is it being fulfilled?

Summary for October 30, 2016

​Hi, parents and students -

Today, we began to consider specific details of the Zionist movements, their origins, and their leaders. After we consolidated the class (a few students came in late), We discussed the idea of assimilation in a society - in which a minority surrenders its particular identity to melt into the majority - and how the Zionism is essentially a movement to consolidate the Jews into one nation (rather than let them dissolve into the cultures through which they were dispersed). We also reviewed the idea that, as a result of various diasporas, Jews were widely spread across the globe - and the notion of Zionism presented a means to unite them. After this, Amy gave us a brief overview of the history of Theodore Herzl, the political conditions which led to his beliefs and actions, and the birth of the political Zionist movement. Although Herzl initially supported the notion of assimilation, the Dreyfus affair permanently altered his opinion, and sparked the flame of Zionism.

We then completed a brief activity in which students familiarized themselves with various terms pertinent to the class (Ashkenazi, diaspora, Austro-Hungarian Empire, etc.) by matching words to their definitions.

We concluded the class by having students split into four groups, each of which read through a brief text on the founders of a Zionist movement (political, cultural, religious, and revolutionary). Students analyzed the texts to prepare presentations on what may have sparked their leaders' beliefs and what sort of nation the leaders envisioned.

Car Talk:

What do you know about Herzl and other Zionist leaders/movements? Why did Zionism arise?

Why would the Jewish people want to resist assimilation? What are the benefits and costs of assimilating?

How do you envision Zionism? Do you agree with the ideals of the leader/movement you were chosen to discuss?

Summary for October 23, 2016

​Hi, parents and students

Today, we began looking at the origins of Zionism from an international perspective. First, Amy introduced some historical context - we viewed maps showing the scale of early Jewish diasporas, and discussed the factors that led to the large gain in momentum of the past century's Zionist movements. We discussed several influences which contributed to the Jews' desire to form an independent state: most notably, rampant Antisemitism (which grew in WWI, WWII, and the Eastern European Pogroms), the dissolve of the Ottoman Empire/much of the Middle East (following WWI), and the weakening of European colonialism. We then discussed the notion of self-determination - the principle that an ethnic/cultural group should be able to form an independent nation, rather than remaining a suppressed minority in a larger nation.

After this lecture, we watched a video which discussed to meaning of Jewish identity in a historical context - discussing Freud's interpretation of a culture's origins, and the historical/biblical origins from which the Jewish identity rose. Although we were not able to complete the full documentary, it still provided students with a new, nuanced perspective on their religion's foundations.

Car Talk:

1. As a Jew, do you feel that a Jewish homeland is necessary - for security, culture, or historically shares origins? Why?

2. Do you personally feel a connection between your ancestors - biblical or historical, from thousands of years ago or from 20th century Europe - and yourself? How do your origins define your culture?

3. What do you know about your family's journey and origins?

Summary for October 16, 2016

​Hi, parents and students -

This Sunday, we cycled through various activities pertaining to Sukkot. We began with a service led by Franklin, in which we read though a few basic holiday prayers - Franklin discussed their deeper meaning and their relevance to the holiday - sung, and danced. After that, we made the Jewish equivalent to a gingerbread house: a candy Sukkah! ;) We then moved on to make paper lulavs and various crafts to decorate the TBE Sukkah. We ended with a brief overview of the holiday - and a discussion of its traditions and significance - led by Rabbi Singer in the Sukkah outside. Overall, it was a fun and reflective day, in which we reaffirmed our connection to the traditional roots of one of our religion's most important holidays.

Car talk:

- Do you feel any personal connection to this holiday? What is it about Sukkot that most appeals to you?

- What do you believe some of the origins of this tradition are? Is it purely religious, or is it also connected to agricultural and rural roots?

Summary for October 9, 2016

​Dear parents and students,

This week Davy led the class in a lesson on Ethics. We went to a high level of discussion and all who attended did extremely well understanding the material and made excellent arguments.

We learnt about the basics of Utilitarian and Kantian Ethical systems of thought, then we looked and the IDF ethical code to represent Virtue Ethics. We compared the three, discussing possible problems with all of them, and concluding that to make good ethical decisions it can be useful to use all models.

We then looked at a number of real and fictional examples of political decision making and discussed which ethical systems of thought could be applied to make the best decisions in those situations. The class also raised very relevant examples themselves.

The class were keen to debate the issues and their contributions to the discussion showed an excellent understanding of the material and very high critical thinking skills. This bodes very well for their progress in the rest of the course, well done everyone!

Car talk:What can you remember about the different ethical systems we learnt about?What kinds of information do you think we need to make good ethical decisions?Can we ever know what is ‘right’ or ‘good’ in any given situation?

Next Sunday the class will be getting involved in Sukkot activities, classes on Israel will resume the week after that when we will be learning about a number of different strands of early Zionist thinking.

Have a great week!

Summary for September 25, 2016

​Hello parents and students!

This week Davy was away so I’m writing this, I hope it matches the high standard he has set!

This week we looked at maps to explore what we can learn from a map and how many maps we might need to form a truly accurate picture of a place.

Throughout the class we looked at a variety of maps of Israel. We also read the poem ‘The Blind Men and the Elephant’ to help us understand that we need to listen to more than one viewpoint to get the full picture of a place or issue, we probably need a great many viewpoints.

To more deeply understand how maps come from their authors viewpoints we each filled in maps of Riverside that highlighted what was important to us and shared them to see how different each of our maps was.

By the end everyone was able to see how different political views can be expressed in maps of Israel and the class was very insightful. They stated that to get a true picture not only do we need to look at a lot of maps, but we need to do our own research to find out more about the differences we see in maps and ultimately the best way to check would be to go there and see for ourselves!

Car talk:What did you learn about Israel from looking at maps? What questions do you now have about Israel after looking at the maps?

Have a great week!

Amy

Summary for September 18, 2016

​Hi, parents and students!

This class emphasized the importance of debate in Judaism, and introduced its application to modern international/Israeli politics. First, we discussed the difference between debate for the sake of heaven and debate not for the sake of heaven. A section in the Talmud discusses the three-year long debate between Beit Hillel and Beit Sham-mai - after the debate had raged on for such a long span of time, a voice from heaven announced that "both were the words of the living god...but the law is in agreement with Beit Hillel." The importance of this excerpt is not that Hillel won, but that both were "the words of the living god" - both were debating for the sake of heaven. We had students discuss the difference between debate for the sake of heaven and not for the sake of heaven; when one is debating for heaven, they genuinely intend to help others and make positive change (as German rabbi Raphael Hirsh said, "advancing the cause of the genuine knowledge of truth"); when one is not debating for heaven, they are more focused on stubbornness, shallow goals, etc.

We then read Genesis 18:22-32, in which Abraham bargains with God - he argues that Sodom and Gomorrah should not be destroyed if he could find 50 virtuous residents, 45, 40, etc. Although Sodom and Gomorrah were ultimately destroyed, this text demonstrates that Judaism is founded in the roots of debate - one can even argue with God.

We then showed a news clip detailing a shooting that took place in a mall in Tel Aviv. The shooters killed and injured many innocent Israeli citizens. Israel's response was to place harsh sanctions on the extended family of the shooter and the town of Yatta from which they hailed. The family/residents of Yatta were denied work permits and permission to travel to holy places in Israel, despite the fact that most were not connected to the shooting. After we had students read the perspectives/arguments of six different entities on Israel's response to the shooting - the Israeli government, the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, the Palestinian leadership, the UN, and the US government - we briefly discussed whether or not this was a debate "for the sake of heaven," and the implications/morality of collective punishment.

Car Talk:

What are the differences between debate for the sake of heaven and debate not for the sake of heaven? Why is debate for the sake of heaven preferable?

What does the excerpt from Genesis imply about God, Abraham, and Jewish history? Is this the only evidence of open debate with God in the history of Judaism?

Were Israel's actions against Yatta following the shooting justified? Might there have been a better solution? Is there truth to each perspective on the situation (the Israelis, Palestinians, etc.?)

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY!!!

(if we gave extra credit, which we don't, because the students aren't being graded; but, if we were giving extra credit, this would count for it. So it's theoretical extra credit.):

Have the students bring in a map. I won't be there next week, but Amy will be discussing the conflict that has arisen from border strife, national identity, and the cultural/political conflict in Israel.

As always, have a good week!

Summary for September 11, 2016

​GRADE 8/9Hi, parents and students of the 8/9 religious school class! It was wonderful getting to meet our students for the forthcoming year. Amy and I will periodically send out recaps of the class/questions for "car talk," so you can stay engaged with what we cover and discuss throughout the year.

Today primarily served as an introduction. We had students introduce themselves by name, then asked them to say a couple words or ideas that came to them when they though of Israel. We were surprised by the diversity of responses - they came up with "Kibbutz," "conflict," "religion," and "Jerusalem," among many others. Following that, Amy presented slides of images pertaining to Israel and discussed the story and background behind each one (some were historical, such as the Exodus refugee boat, and some were modern, such as a picture taken at the beach in Tel Aviv). As we went through the slides, we had students discuss their own impressions and knowledge of the pictures. After a short break, Amy projected a list of words such as "culture," "security," "faith," and "politics" onto the board. As we went through the words one by one, we had students raise their hand for each word they thought described their personal connection to Israel - what Israel meant to them. We concluded the class by having them answer a brief questionnaire about how they identified with Israel.

Car Talk (to ask your kids in the car, when they're captive audiences and are obliged to answer you):

Did anything you learned about Israel in class surprise you? What had you already known?

Do you have any personal connection with Israel? As a Jew, how do you feel about their culture/politics/etc.?

Are there any differences between how most of the world perceives Israel and how you see it?

We look forward to seeing the students in class again next week! If any of them can't make it, please let us and Rabbi know in advance. Have a great week!